Plot

Sonic is pacing back and forth on his prison cell, obviously bored and anxious to get out, tapping his foot as he usually does. Suddenly Amy drops from a shaft above and does some random behaviour typical of her. Sonic is surprised to see her and asks how she got in. Amy explains that she caught a ride with Tails and asks him how he ended up there as well. Sonic says he’s framed, now seemingly more relaxed and flexing his legs around. Amy wonders aloud if Shadow was involved and Sonic is interested and asks her where she saw him. Amy tries to blackmail Sonic into telling him if he marries her and Sonic turns his backs on her, more interested in staying in prison than marrying her. Amy gives up too easily and sets him free anyway, complaining a bit, but tells Sonic where she found Shadow as well. Amy notices some doodles on the cell walls and asks Sonic if he did that but then notices he’s far gone to find Shadow. She leaves as well, complaining.

Level layout

Appearance

Metal Harbour as it's name hints, is harbour themed, with the ocean as a bottomless pit, large iron platforms where vessels await, seagulls flying past and giant fuel tanks and towers.

The major gimmick of this level are the large quantity of loops and ramps, along with the countdown missile launch pad towards the end of the level.

Other level specific objects include fuel tanks, red indestructible GUN containers, small platforms that move across the ground, yellow rails that can be grinded on and yellow caps that Sonic can pick up.

Walkthrough

Sonic first starts a quick succession of platforms and loops and after a jump plate, the way divides into two: one by the lower level and the other above the ceilings. The two ways meet just to branch out again: by using a trail of rings to reach a square platform or continuing forward to the first Point Marker.

After some springs there’s the platform that the trail of rings lead to, and after a trail of Mono Beetles there’s yet another square platform. Here and taking the upreel will take Sonic to a level above, where the Light Shoes upgrade is. Past a trail of rings there’s a vessel and on top of one of the garages at the end there’s a Mystic Melody ruin, which will generate a set of platforms that lead to a faraway platform. Back at the vessel, at the end there’s a trail of rings but there’s also small ledge below with a rocket, and both will take Sonic to the platform with the second Point Marker.

Here there’s a loop, two gaps to somersault and each with an upreel, then another loop and a path. After the third somersault there’s a trail of Beetles leading to a platform where the third Point Marker is.

Taking the rocket will lead to a missile launch site, and the countdown (15 seconds) before it takes off begins, and naturally Sonic has to take the large missile to reach another section. It’s relatively easy to go up the path and catch the first handle (400 points at best), but it should be noted there’s another one above that awards more points (1500 points), by using the Beetles next to this handrail, then up the structure and finally a row of springs to the second handle.

Either way, Sonic catches a ride with the missile and drops from above to a road surf section along a downwards tunnel filled with item boxes, then there’s a loop, launching Sonic to the Goal platform.

Hard Mode

At the first vessel, there are rotating spikes in the way.

After the third Point Marker, the way to the missile launch site isn't done by a rocket anymore, but by a string of Mono Beetles.

Other versions

Metal Harbor shares its theme level objects with Eggman’s Weapons Bed, which makes sense they are both set in GUN’s base harbour area.

Locations

Beginning: over the second ceiling after the second jump plate.Second Point Marker: After the springs, circling the light.Second Point Marker: To the left after taking the second upreel.Second Point Marker: On top of a fuel tank, after the loop and on the same platform as the yellow rails.

3

Beginning: After the second jump plate.First Point Marker: On the vessel, to the left and past the fuel tanks by the extra-life.Second Point Marker: Past the third somersault.

3

Beginning: By the right after the dash panels and before the first jump plate.First Point Marker: On the platform before the trail of Beetles.First Point Marker: On the vessel, to the right and the back of the airplane runaway.

2

Second Point Marker: After the loop and close to the dash panels.Third Point Marker: On the launch site bottom level, close to the springs.

Random

6

Beginning: In a pipe, below the second ceiling after the second jump plate.First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the platform after the trail of Beetles.First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the vessel, to the end of it and to the right near the fuel tanks.First Point Marker: In the cap Sonic can pick on the platform with the first somersault.First Point Marker: In the cap Sonic can pick before the second somersault.Third Point Marker: On a cap Sonic can pick up, close to the Point Marker.

4

Level specific animalFirst Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the vessel, to the left and past the fuel tanks by the extra-life. (x2)First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the vessel, near the control tower.*Third Point Marker: At the top of the missle launch structure, close of the handle.

After the first Point Marker, there's vessel and at the end of it, there are three garages to the left. Above the middle there's a Mystic Melody and activating it will generate a path of platforms leading to a faraway platform.

Sonic's Light Shoes are in a platform accessible by taking the upper reel that is located after the trail of Mono Beetles after the first Point Marker.

A Rank Tips

Mission 1

By far one of the trickiest A Ranks. If you don't know what to do.

The most common misconception is that you have to use the upper path in the missile launchpad section for a instant 1,500 technique point bonus to acquire the A Rank, and doing that is HARD. But, if you follow these instructions, you can ignore the upper path of the missile launchpad section entirely.

You know the section where the Blue Eagles are flying all around you? When you get to that section, destroy them. At least two. Get the first one easily by jumping immediately after hitting the first set of dash panels, and get the second one by jumping after hitting the second set of dash panels and shifting slightly to the left. Boo yah, 1,000 points right there. If you're feeling really greedy, you can viciously bounce between the last dash panel and the next set of rings and try and get two more. If you do that, however, you'll have no need for the next bit:

Go back and go to the beginning of the storage rooms and you'll find a quadruplet of Mono Beetles with an extra life capsule (In fact, this location is visible in their page photo). Smash them in a chain and you'll have well over the 1,500 points normally given for doing the upper path of the rocket section. If you want even more points, immediately after getting the extra life, bounce continuously towards (yeah, here's a random tip in general: after destroying some enemies, bounce continuously towards other targets to increase the enemy chain bonus) the storage containers and smash the Mono Beetles in the first and third ones, getting you a 500 technique point bonus instead of 300. True, while doing this will extend your time by around 30 seconds, you'll still get a big enough time bonus to cover it.

But that's not all you should do. if you want that A Rank, it's mandatory to do these four things:

After the first loop-de-loop, light dash along the 4 rings and grind the rail towards the launch pad. Worth 600 points.

Unlikely, as people attempting this would already have the Light Shoes, but nevertheless, it's required to light dash along the first long set of rings after the second group of Mono Beetles.

At the Mono Beetle chain before the upgrade platform, home attack to the left after the 4th beetle and take an extended homing attack chain that includes a 1,000 point Gold Beetle and an extra life. Worth 1,000 points.

At the section after the second loop-de-loop and just before the last Mono Beetle chain, when you're launched up into the air, aim at the leftmost railing and grind it. Worth 500 points, and you get a additional 100 point bonus for somersaulting under the barrier immediately after grinding, oddly.

Supplementary Tips:

Use the bouncing trick used in the 4th paragraph with the first two Mono Beetles and the three Mono Beetles that are part of the path further along. Worth 400 points.

It's helpful to Spin Dash at the beginning of the missile launchpad to get to the first handle faster for a potential 800 technique point bonus. Other things to do here to increase your chances at that 800 points are:

Homing attacking towards the second dash panel here.

Jumping at the third to last walkway part and homing attacking the spring from the side.

Mission 2

Just do everything you did in the Mission 1 A Rank, and you'll have this one in the bag (but keep in mind that you don't have to worry about points right now). BUT, if you want to be even faster...

At the last pulley for this level, you should have 99 rings. Use it, and bounce up to the top of the structure the pulley was in. Bingo, a ring's there!

Mission 3

Same as Mission 2, but a bit more tricky. Again, keep in mind you're not battling for points, so you can afford to skip some point grubbing techniques used in Mission 1 (e.g. take the shorter homing attack chain before the upgrade platform).

Mission 4

Actually, this one, though it sounds daunting, is pretty easy, all things considered. After all, the requirement for this one is 2,000 less than Mission 1. Just follow the route laid out by Mission 1 A Rank, and you'll snatch it up. You can't, however, do the trick that saved you from the upper route at the missile launchpad in Mission 1 here (But it is possible to take out two Blue Eagles, maybe even more, along the way).

Mission 5

It's possible that the Mission 5 A Rank is slightly easier than the Mission 1. You'd think it be enough that we've got the same A Rank requirement for Mission 4, but the added enemies and obstacles actually allow for more point opportunities! (e.g. the extra chain of invisible Mono Beetles to the rocket launchpad plus the shortened Mono Beetle chain before that one gives you a total technique bonus of 800 points as opposed to Mission 1's 500 point bonus from destroying the Mono Beetles to the rocket that gets you to the missile launchpad) Just stick to the Mission 1 A Rank route and you'll be fine. But a couple of things:

When trying to include the Bomb Beetles in your enemy chain at the start, there's a chance you may be smacked. Try to time it with the Bounce Bracelet.

The final mandatory level technique in Mission 1 is now only worth 400 points, but it evens out if you destroy the Gun Hawk that immediately comes down after you're finished grinding.

Thanks to the rotating spike balls, it's now harder to destroy the Blue Eagles. And the Mono Beetles located to the side in that same area are now gone. Only 8 rings remains in the first storage room.

Trivia

At least in the Dreamcast version, since this is a running level, the animal counter is 20, even though, as listed above, there are 21. After the twentieth animal, the game will give an extra life and the number will blink red like usual; when the twenty-first is subsequently collected, an additional life is awarded and the number twenty will blink red again as well. The problem is solved in Hard Mode however, with one of the animals being absent.

Again in the Dreamcast version, if you press the button at any time on controller 2, Sonic will appear and maneuver as if he is on a board.

While the time to complete Mission 4 is 2 minutes, the Prima Strategy Guide for the Dreamcast version states that the time to beat Mission 4 is 5 minutes. However, the rank requirements charts at the beginning of the walkthrough (which, along with showing the scores needed to get any rank for any level, also lists the time requirements for a Mission 4) has the correct time limit listed. This is similar to the error for the Cannon's Core missions.